After an unknown amount of time, they arrived in front of a mud house. A woman was cooking, with smoke rising from the kitchen and a faint aroma of rice.
Seeing a group of men in black coming to her door aggressively, the woman was so scared that the bowl in her hand fell to the ground.
Inside the house, the woman's husband heard the noise and came out, also shocked by the scene before him.
"You are..."
Before the farmer could finish his words, a sword was pressed against his neck.
"Master, please spare us! Master, please spare us! We are all honest villagers. We have never done anything evil, nor have we ever offended you. Please spare our lives!"
When the woman saw her husband with a sword at his neck, she was so frightened that her legs went limp and she fell to her knees.
"I've used your house for the past two days." The man looked down at the farmers and ordered them.
"You, responsible for cooking." The man looked at the woman, then turned to the farmer. "You, responsible for looking after the house."
"Do you understand?"
The man's attitude was extremely bad, as if he would eat you if you weren't careful.
How could the farmer and the woman dare not refuse
Ling Qingwan was acupunctured, like a piece of fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. Although she couldn't speak or move, she could hear sounds.
Ling Qingwan was extremely angry when she saw how these Northern Zhou bandits were bossing the people of Dai Viet around.
She secretly made a note of this account in her heart, waiting for the right time to settle it with them.
"Go search her and see what she has."
Ling Qingwan was carried into the room by the man in black. She faintly heard the man giving orders to the woman.
The woman responded, and then several people entered the room together.
Ling Qingwan's heart was in her throat.
The woman approached Ling Qingwan, and behind her, several men in black were watching her eagerly.
Then, the woman began to grope Ling Qingwan's body up and down with trembling hands.
When the woman touched her chest, Ling Qingwan stared at her with pleading eyes.
Ling Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief until the woman reached for her trouser leg.
"Replying to the hero, that's all."
When the work was done, the woman handed over all the jewelry and handkerchiefs she had looted from Ling Qingwan to the leading man in black.
"That's all?" The man raised his eyebrows.
He was obviously a little bit unconvinced that Ling Qingwan, who was so bold and calm, actually had some jewelry on her body.
"Yes, I have checked it carefully." The woman answered firmly.
The man's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a mocking smile.
After all, he overestimated Ling Qingwan.
After a while, they were a little hungry. The food was ready, so they went to the larger house next door to eat.
After a long while, the woman came into Ling Qingwan's room carrying a bowl of white rice and two steamed buns.
After all, they had to eat, so the man in black sent someone to open Ling Qingwan's acupoints, and then stood guard at the door, fearing that Ling Qingwan would do something bad.
Ling Qingwan originally wanted to pass on the message to the woman, but because there were other people around, she couldn't say it, so she had to give up and look for another opportunity.
After finishing her meal, Ling Qingwan continued to sit in the corner.
Time passed little by little, the sky gradually darkened, and Ling Qingwan began to worry.
Since they have captured someone, they won't delay for long. Ling Qingwan estimated that they would bring the news to the general's mansion tomorrow and ask Shen Chengzhou to redeem her life.
Since they knew Shen Chengzhou was coming and when he would come, these people would definitely set up a tight net to catch him.
By then, Shen Chengzhou might be in danger of his life.
Can't wait until then. This is Ling Qingwan's only thought. She has to find a way to turn the situation around.
Ling Qingwan was quiet for the whole afternoon, and those people were less wary of Ling Qingwan. When it was dinner time, there was no one guarding the door, and the woman came in with food as she did at noon, feeding Ling Qingwan mouthful by mouthful.
"Sister, listen to me." Ling Qingwan confirmed that there was no one outside the door and began to talk to the woman. She stared at the door closely, fearing that there were ears on the other side of the wall.
"I know that you are the granddaughter of the great general who guards the country." The woman spoke first.
Ling Qingwan was surprised.
"This afternoon, they were chatting after dinner, and I heard them."
It has to be said that Shen Chengzhou, as the god of war of Dai Viet, has a very high status in the hearts of the people.
Especially these powerless and not wealthy farmers in the village, they did not see Shen Chengzhou from time to time like the people in Tokyo City. As for Shen Chengzhou, they heard about him through word of mouth.
In their hearts, Shen Chengzhou is a god-like figure.
"Just tell me how we can help you. My husband and I can help." The woman was very positive.
Ling Qingwan knew that the woman was a good person.
Ling Qingwan was certain when she saw that the woman understood the pleading in her eyes and did not take out the signal cigarette from her chest pocket.
"Big brother really has to do this." Ling Qingwan said seriously. "I have a signal cigarette in my pocket. Big brother has to watch outside at night. Just put out this cigarette."
By then Shen Chengzhou will be able to see the signal smoke and determine their location.
In this way, Shen Chengzhou can make preparations in advance.
"Okay, I understand."
As the woman spoke, she took out the signal cigarette from Ling Qingwan's chest, hid it, and walked out with the finished meal as if nothing had happened.
Seeing the door closed and she was the only one left in the room, Ling Qingwan couldn't help but take a deep breath.
She only had this one signal smoke, which meant that this was her only chance.
If you fail, you will die.
At night, the man in black was worried that Ling Qingwan would do something while they were asleep, so he sealed Ling Qingwan's acupoints again, making her unable to move.
"Ling Qingwan, if you sleep a little longer, you will be able to see your grandfather." The man in black sneered. "I hope your grandfather really loves you as much as the rumors say, so that you don't have to suffer."
That night.
Ling Qingwan held her breath and stared outside.
The biggest feature of signal smoke is that it makes no sound, but you can see the smoke rising. Ling Qingwan uses this as a basis to judge whether the farmer has done his job.
Ling Qingwan couldn't sleep peacefully until the matter was confirmed.
Suddenly, someone pushed the door open and a figure quickly walked up to Ling Qingwan.
Ling Qingwan looked closely and recognized the person as Yun Gui.
"It's okay, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you." Yun Gui whispered to comfort Ling Qingwan.
Ling Qingwan couldn't speak because of her acupuncture points, so she could only stare with her eyes wide open, hoping that Yun Gui could understand what she meant.
She couldn't leave now. If she left, the farmer and the woman's help to her would be discovered by the man in black.
They are doomed to die.
"Their acupuncture point pressing technique is very unique, and it will be difficult for me to untie it in a short time. Just bear with it for now, and I will untie it for you when we get back."
Yun Gui untied the ropes on Ling Qingwan while explaining to her.
Ling Qingwan was almost dying of anxiety.
Yun Gui quickly untied the knot and hugged Ling Qingwan, taking her away.
Ling Qingwan was extremely anxious and her tears couldn't stop falling.